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About this project

Photo by Yongtae Lee

INTRODUCING CELLA

Cella is specially constructed of flexible, lightweight plastic to house mosses and small plants. It creates a microclimate that allows them to thrive both indoors and outdoors. Cella is uniquely adaptable in that it can be attached to walls and roofs, or simply stand alone. This portable, self-contained habitat comes in different sizes and can be linked with other units – be creative with your designs!

DESIGN INSPIRATION

We developed Cella from a green roof research project called “Mosspebble” at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Because moss gathers all of its nutrients from the air, it requires certain levels of wind, shade and moisture. However, it doesn’t need soil. Instead, we observed that moss seems to thrive on rocks and pebbles – their porous surfaces are perfect for growth. This inspired Cella’s unique design. After four years of careful observation and modification, we’ve perfected it to the lightweight, contemporary model you see now.

URBAN LANDSCAPE INNOVATION

Cella’s unique ability to create the optimal microclimate for moss and plug plants make it adaptable to all kinds of environments. The small, organic form of the units make efficient use of space to fit a garden in an urban home or apartment, and can be installed on any surface. There are no limits to your landscaping visions – grow a traditional garden on the floor, or have it climb up the walls and hang from the ceiling.
To find out how to put moss into Cella, visit our website: www.ecoid.net

SPECIFICATIONS

Cella is made of UV protected, scratch resistant clear PVC. It also
uses a phthalate-free plasticizer, which is safe for all living creatures.
These materials enable it to be soft and elastic while still maintaining
durability so it can be used time and time again.

Materials: UV Protected Clear Plastic (PVC)

Grow Plants: We recommend placing balls of moss or soil, or a similar medium, inside Cella and then planting a seed or a plug-plant within them. Visit www.ecoid.net to find out how.

WHY KICKSTARTER?

In order to make Cella
affordable for families all around the world, we need $50,000 to build special
molds that will greatly reduce production costs. This includes:

Upgraded materials

Longer-lasting reservoir support made
with special mold pieces

New large-scale manufacturer with higher
minimum quantities

You could help us share this amazing, sustainable technology with the
world. We hope you’ll support our move from a local
prototype to a product that has the potential to influence urban nature and
provide a sustainable source for the future.

PRODUCTION & SCHEDULE

Cella is mass produced through our
manufacturer located in China. Our current production capacity is 1000 Cella per
day. Additionally, we have our own cultivation facilities and a laboratory for moss located in Korea, and are trying to build a cultivation system in the US as well.

CELLA Production Line

The basic creation process:1. Melt the plastic2. Pour it into the mold
3. Put the mold into the furnace4. Take the mold out from the furnace and extract Cella
5. Cut holes

With our current equipment, we can only produce one Cella at a time, and have to cut the holes in each one by hand. With your help, we could upgrade our equipment, including adding more molds to the frame and automating the cutting process. This would allow us to make more Cella at a time, as well as ensure uniformity and quality. We hope that by maximizing efficiency, we will also be able to expand our initiative globally.

CELLA Cultivation Facilities and Laboratory

We’ll ship in Summer 2014. Here's our schedule for Cella delivery:

May: Finalize manufacturing facility

June: Place orders

July: Begin production

August: Set up package facility

September: Ship out first batch

October: Ship out Limited Edition Cella

REWARDS

- CELLA Miniature for rewards is 3D-printed and varies in size and colour. - CELLA Limited edition varies in different colour.

PROFILE

We are entrepreneurs and designers who believe in the power of innovative design. For us, this means thinking outside of the box. We are not afraid to take risks to create new designs that function the way you need them to.

Niall Kirkwood: Professor of Landscape Architecture and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Design

We appreciate your unconditional mentoring from the very beginning.

Risks and challenges

We founded ecoid in early October 2010, and are excited to launch our very first product, Cella, after four years of comprehensive research and testing. We are extremely proud of our innovative and sustainable design, and hope you are too.

We've built a strong partnership with an experienced manufacturer to mitigate as many risks as possible, but we know there may still be unexpected challenges along the way. We will always be transparent and will inform our backers of any hurdles, should they crop up.

SHIP DATE
We have built in extra time for the manufacturing process and are confident we will ship by the projected dates. However, if things take longer than planned, we will inform you immediately.

MANUFACTURING
We have established relationships with experienced contract manufacturers to mitigate the risk of delays by material suppliers, and to ensure quality control is implemented at the highest level. We have built test prototypes with our manufacturers, and they fully understand our product, specifications and production timeline.

You will be the first to know if there are any unexpected delays. Rest assured that we will work hard to follow through with our obligations to you.

If you place Cella with moss outdoors, you don’t have to water it at all. Cella works with the natural environment to create a microclimate that allows moss to thrive. If you wish to place it indoors, we recommend you water it 2-3 times a week to accelerate growth, although moss can survive for up to a year without water.

You can easily find many kinds of moss growing naturally near your home. We have a few companies in partnership cultivating moss at the moment, and we are trying to build international delivery system to provide moss that will make Cella even more user-friendly.

For outdoor use, we recommend you make a frame using steel wires or wood, or buying one from your local hardware store. For indoor use, you could use strong adhesive tape or a glue gun. We are currently developing attaching units for Cella.

Rewards

$1 reward

$10 reward

One CELLA Miniature.
We'll send you a miniature version of CELLA -- attach it to a keyring or make something cool out of it to show your support for our project!

Estimated delivery:Aug 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$15 reward

60 backers

One CELLA and one miniature CELLA.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$25 reward

192 backers

One set of CELLA, as well as one CELLA Miniature. A set of CELLA includes one of each of the three sizes.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$50 reward

85 backers
Limited (4915 left of 5000)

Two sets of CELLA, as well as one set of CELLA Miniature. A set of CELLA includes one of each of the three sizes.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$95 reward

29 backers
Limited (971 left of 1000)

Three sets of CELLA, as well as one limited edition set. A set of CELLA includes one of each of the three sizes.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$150 reward

11 backers
Limited (289 left of 300)

Four sets of CELLA, one limited edition set, and one set filled with balls of moss. A set of CELLA includes one of each of the three sizes.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

$285 reward

1 backer
Limited (34 left of 35)

INTERNATIONAL! NEW ADDITIONAL REWARD!
Five sets of CELLA filled with balls of moss. A set of CELLA includes one of each of the three sizes.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

$500 reward

1 backer
Limited (14 left of 15)

An exclusive CELLA experience. This includes a presentation by and Q&A session with one of the founders, a workshop for planting moss and plants in CELLA, your own small creation with CELLA, and a tour of Harvard and Boston. Airfare not included.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

You selected

$1,000 reward

1 backer
Limited (9 left of 10)

Everything listed in the $500 CELLA experience, as well as an installation of CELLA, customized just for you! US only.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

You selected

$5,000 reward

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

Two private landscaping consultations and a customized installation of CELLA. Plus, you'll be the first to receive a sample of our next product, which we're in the process of designing now. US only.

Estimated delivery:Oct 2014

Funding period

Apr 8, 2014 - May 11, 2014
(33 days)

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